Putting Your Restless Legs to Rest

I consider myself a pretty lucky guy.  Not just because I love my family or that I love my job, but I’m lucky for the little things.  For instance, I love the fact that I can fall asleep without much of a problem.  I mean, moments after my head hits the pillow, I’m out like a light!  That’s a great thing.  Because for millions of people, the ability to sleep soundly is something they can only dream about (pardon the pun).

Insomnia affects millions of people, but there’s a specific kind of insomnia that I want to focus on today.  It’s called restless leg syndrome, and one in 10 people experience it on a nightly basis.

Depending on whom you ask, restless leg syndrome presents itself in a variety of forms.  Some describe it as a tingling; others describe it as a pulling.  For some it’s painless, for others it’s painful.  What everyone with RLS experiences, though, is little sleep.  About 60 percent of people with RLS wake more than three times every night and 15 percent toss and turn for two hours or more before finally falling asleep.

As you might imagine, sleepless night after sleepless night puts a heavy toll on quality of life:  from performance in the work place, to enjoyment on the home front (60 percent of RLS sufferers are lacking in energy, 50 percent have difficulty concentrating and 54 percent are depressed).

In short, restless leg syndrome is not merely an annoyance; it’s an adversary that must, and can, be conquered!  Yet a pittance of those diagnosed with RLS ever receives proper treatment (about 13 percent).

But there are things you can do and habits you can form to help you finally put a rest to restless leg syndrome.

RLS most frequently presents itself at night when people are attempting to relax.  Once it hits, it’s hard to ignore.  If it does present itself, try and occupy your mind with an activity that will distract you from the tingling.

Granted, this is like telling someone to think about anything but a white elephant (e.g. I bet you just thought about a white elephant!), but because restless leg syndrome is a neurological disorder, thinking about it and stressing over it exacerbate the tingling sensations.  Do your best not to think about it by occupying your mind with a good book, a challenging crossword puzzle or an engrossing movie.

Something else you can do for treatment is to cut back on your caffeine intake.  Caffeine is a stimulant that often triggers restless leg syndrome, so stay away from these and other stimulants that interfere with sleep cold turkey.

Something else you may want to consider is to get a blood test.  People with restless leg syndrome are often deficient in iron, so iron supplementation may be in order.  Other supplements known to correct deficiencies and alleviate RLS symptoms include folate and magnesium.

Finally, try and go to bed and rise at the same time every day.  The body’s sleep cycle likes routine, so going to bed and rising from bed around the same time every night and day will help you fall asleep more quickly.

Habits take a while to form, so don’t expect immediate dividends (i.e. if the time in which you go to bed and rise varies from day to day, it will take a little while for your body to accustom to a more regular sleep schedule).

Of course, you can always consider taking medications for RLS, but this being a natural health web site, these are the natural things you can do to give your restless legs a respite.

Sources
youtube.com
talkaboutsleep.com
organizedwisdom.com
rlsunderthecovers.com
health.google.com
medicinenet.com